


The Belladonna Incident

by madmana (woelfchen)



Series: Aiming High (GTA V AU) [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - GTA, F/M, GTA AU, M/M, Mafia AU, Multi, POV Police
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-18 07:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2339750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woelfchen/pseuds/madmana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deputy Miles Luna, fresh from the Academy, gets assigned to his first big case, uprooting and capturing a Mob in Los Santos. He couldn't be more excited - until he get's to meet them on his very first day of work.</p><p>[Discontinued]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

In a nervous habit, Deputy Miles Luna checkes over his new uniform one last time, before he pushes down the handle of his new office door. The sight that greeted him behind that door was anything but that he'd expected. The office has two desks, both overflown with folders and papers, maps and newspaper articles, post-it notes and evidence bags. On one of the desks stands one tiny laptop, and behind the laptop sits one scruffy looking man with curly dark hair, a well cared for beard and glasses. The sign that dangles halfway over the edge of the desk tells him that the man sitting there is Special Agent M. Burns.  
"Never heard of knocking? What do you want?", Burns asks, not even looking up from his laptop. He moves the mouse attached to it on the 3 inches of the desk that wasn't covered in litter yet.  
"Good morning, Sir. I'm Miles Luna, I was assigned to your department.  
Burns groans. "Oh god, _another_ Rookie. I already told Hullum how much I _don't_ want those."  
His smile falters a little, before Miles shrugged it off. "I was assigned, because they thought you need the help. Sir, I've gone trough training and aced in the academy. I'm sure you're gonna appreciate my dedication to your case."  
  
Burns finally looks up from his laptop. "What was that?", he asks, studying Miles closely.  
Nothing but proud, Miles puffs out his chest a little and repeats: "I absolved the special training in the academy and scored the highest marks in the final exams. I've written my thesis on your case and I've been assigned to your department because of my outstanding-"  
"Oh, that's _just what I needed_. You're think you can kickstart your career with my case. But let me tell you, boy. You've never been so wrong. I won't help set you up, and I'm not gonna let you in on my cases. Just get out."  
Miles gapes at the man in front of him. "Sir, I'm afraid I can't do that. I've been officially assigned to finding and capturing the Fake AH Crew under your lead, and I'm sure you've been made aware of my arrival."  
  
Burns sits back in his chair and rubbs a hand over his face in one smooth, tired motion. "Listen, Rookie. You're not gonna be happy here. This is not the case that'll help you in any way other than make you look way older than you actually are. You won't have to take your ID anymore, every time you're out to buy some beer, but that's about it. I've been working on the case for years, believe me."  
Miles smiles. "Then I believe some new wind will help setting the sails. Sir, I've not agreed to the case for my career, though I suppose it wouldn't hurt it when we catch them. I've been interested in the case for a while now, since I've first heard about them. I've spent some time reading about it already, and when the position was offered, I didn't have to think about taking it for long."  
"Another sort of people _I don't need_ ", Burns complains, "are people that get turned on by the AH Crew. Nothing good ever comes form them."  
"With all due respect, it's certainly not me being fascinated by them, that had me joining your department, it was me wanting to put them down. They've been far to powerful for far to long. I can only imagine what they've done to the people of Los Santos in the long run."  
Burns just groans again, before he waves his hand towards the other desk. "Get comfy. You'll be here for a while."  
  
  
Miles spends the first two hours in his new office clearing out his desk. He looks trough folders and articles and starts rearranging them by date. Important things that have been sorted together already for a reason, he leaves like he finds them, before he decides to get a filing cabinet to organize the office. He then spends another hour labeling the new files and stuffing them into the drawers. Burns doesn't interact with him until it's time for their lunch break, when he looks up from his laptop for the second time, stretches, and lets him in on his plans. "I'm gonna go down to the diner. They have good burgers down there, but I mainly go for the sandwiches they make."  
"Sandwiches?", Miles asks, not quite catching on to the idea that Burns might be talking to him in a casual, friendly manner.  
"Yes, two slices of bread with ham and cheese and lettuce. Sandwiches. You might have heard of them.", Burns sasses and Miles can't help but grin. This makes him like the older man more already.  
"Those sound interesting. I should go and see those things for myself."  
  
  
After their first lunch together, they actually start talking to each other. Strictly limited to the case, of course.  
"So, what do you know about the AH Crew?", Burns asks him after they headed back into their office. Miles sits himself down, pulling one blank sheet of paper towards him and starts writing the main facts down as he answers.  
"The Fake AH Crew has been increasingly active in Los Santos for 8, maybe 10 years. The exact numbers in their lines is unclear, as are their main goals. Their whereabouts are only rumored, it's very likely that they change their headquarters on a regular basis. They've caused major havoc in the city and are responsible for the deaths of countless innocent."  
Burns nods in agreement. "That's what the newspapers and reporters tell you. Of course, that's after being censored drastically. Now, what do you really think of them, Rookie?"  
Miles made a face. He wasn't really keen on being the _Rookie_ all over again. By far, not his favorite nickname. "I think they're more than a crew causing a little trouble. They have connections and money, they can't be tracked, ever. My guess is that somebody's controlling them from the outside."  
  
Burns actually bursts into laughter. "Kid, you've seen too many movies.", he said during his laughter. "Somebody from the outside. Yeah, no. That's not the way they work, kids. They can't be controlled."  
"Okay, then, they have some ring leader that's hidden away in some high end apartment somewhere downtown. Regardless, what I'm saying is that they are organized in some way."  
Once again, Burns shakes his head. "I see, you don't actually have the slightest idea about the crew."  
"Then tell me. What is there to know about them?"  
  
The Special Agent sighs and switches his laptop back on. He takes his time, loading up his files again, before he faces the newest addition to his team again. "First of all, you can scratch the 'fake' out of their crews name. Sadly, they're very real, so I refuse to call them by their self given name."  
Miles nods. "Oh - all right then."  
"Don't interrupt me, please. Just -" Burns sighs again, "Okay. Just tell me. How many people are with them?"  
He thumbs trough his current file and thinks this question over. This just reeks of a trick question. "Public opinion says about hundred of them? Maybe 120? Personally, I don't believe a word of it. If it's so many, why has no one ever been caught? No offence, of course."  
Burns hums in agreement. "You're right. We would have caught some of them. But it's a little more complicated than that."  
  
With a sudden movement, Burns pushes back his chair and stands up. He starts pacing behind his desk as he fixes his gaze on a spot on the wall behind Miles. "In fact, there's just a handful of active members in the AH Crew. I know for a fact, that they are the leading group at the same time. There is an offsite crew that works for them in the underground. So in addition to the 6 main members, we have an uncertain, but without any doubt, just a small group working for them. No more than 20 members."  
Miles stares at his supervisor in disbelieve. "What? But then again, why haven't they been caught, if it's just so few?"  
The other man made a face. "Like I said, it's not that easy. We had some of them, plenty of times. But they're a collective. Like a hive. They're not to be separated. Stupidly loyal. Nobody gets left behind. And if they crash helicopters and jets into each other for fun, try to imagine what they do when they _want_ something. And now, in addition, make them _furious_!"  
"But that's unheard of - what makes them so inseparable?", Miles asks, surprised by the new information.  
Burns makes another, disgusted, face. "That's the thing about them. They're not just a crew. They work so well together, because they are _more_ than just a crew."  
"What, like family? I always thought they were just people who met."  
"No, not like family. Well - not exactly. But let's not get into the details. All you need to know is, they can't be caught separately. With them, it's all or none, nothing in between."  
  
  
Miles thinks about this for a moment. "What happens if you only arrest one of them?", he then asks. Burns, who had just sat down again, fixes him with a dark look. "  
Remember the 'Big Bang of the LSPD' 2 years ago? The bomb on the roof of the building? The shooting that happened when they tried to evacuate the building? It happened only 15 hours after we got hold of Pattillo - the only woman in the active Crew. She hadn't said a word, regardles of the treatment she received. Just grinned, all the time she grinned. I was with her myself, when the alarm went of - and she just laughed. I tried to evacuate her, and she actually complied. Then the shooting started. And she laughed and laughed. And then, for the first time, she spoke. Well, she yelled. 'Over here! I'm over here!' But she didn't have to yell for them. They knew where she was. Later, I got the message that they hacked into our surveillance cameras. They knew exactly where she was. And they made their way straight towards her. And you know what the strange thing was? The real kicker? They only shot, when they were in danger themselves. They didn't stray from the direct path. Cause havoc, get in, grab what you want, get out. That's how they work. And that's the thing that gets under my skin. They're not mindless killers - well not all of them - but they calculate and plan and work better together than we could ever hope to work in groups. 35 cops died that day. 11 more were injured, because we had one of theirs. They will light the city on fire to protect what's theirs."  
  
Well, that was interesting. "What about the underground crew?", Miles wants to know. Burns shakes his head. "We know nothing about them, except that we'd love to have hacker that good in our own lines. No numbers, names or places of origins are known. They switch locations regularly. Once, they even operated out of a school building, another time out of the hospital. When we traced their tracks back, we had very awkward conversations with the administrations. Turns out they overrode the surveillance, so the tapes they handed over were useless. Nobody that wasn't supposed to be inside the buildings could be detected."  
"None of that was in any files.", Miles remembers. "Not in those I had access to anyways."  
"Well, of course not! This is all under strict secrecy policy. None of these facts are meant for the public. One of our main goals is to keep the community down. They don't take the Crew for the threat they actually are. And we want to keep it that way, to avoid a mass panic."  
  
  
Once again, Burns focuses on his laptop and starts to work on some files. He concentrates deeply, so Miles doesn't ask any more questions. Only when a tall woman enters the office with two mugs of coffee in her hands, the older man looks up again and smiles. When Miles looks the woman over, he is immediately alarmed. He recognizes her, how could he not, when she was the head reporter of the local news station, Ashley Jenkins.  
"Hey Burnie. Any news?", she asks in a sweet voice as she hands him one of the mugs.  
Burns takes it and smiles back. "Thank you. Eugh, guess what. Hullum assigned me a Rookie. That guy over there.", he replies pointing to Miles with his mug. Miles, being the friendly guy that he is, raises his hand to wave and mutters a dopey "Hey. I'm Miles.", but Ashley spares him not as much as a second glance.  
"God, I've had an awful day. Joey made me record the story about the new dump. That's a new all time low.", she complained while she sat down on Burns desk. What the hell?  
"I'm sure you've made the most of it anyway.", Burns replies with a grin, and Ashley actually slaps his arm playfully. "Jerk."  
"I'll better go. Break.", Miles mumbles as he almost falls over his own two feet while he makes his way out of the office as fast as possible. What on earth was going on here?  
  
When he reenters the office 10 minutes later, the reporter was gone and Burns was once again deeply buried behind his laptop. Miles decided to just stare at him in disbelieve, until Burns groaned. "Yes, I know, dating a news reporter may seem inappropriate, especially after what I just told you, but. Ashley and I have been dating for a while now, and she strictly never asks about work, and she agreed to the terms of keeping the crew as quiet as possible. In that way, she's even working for us. And that's all that I'll ever say about that matter."  
  
  
There was nothing left for Miles than to accept it, so he didn't ask any further questions. He grabs the folder he'd been looking trough earlier, before he left the office in a hurry. Right now, he's looking at a transcript of a conversation that was recorded. There was something about a change in plans, but Miles couldn't make sense out of the words. Clearly, they had coded their every word. But the longer Miles looks trough the files, the more he notices something. He takes out the paper he used to write on earlier again, and starts taking notes. "Hey, Burns?", he asks after a while, "You said there's six active members, right?"  
Burns hums in agreement. "That's right."  
"It's just, there are a lot more names in the files. Are those suspects, or something?"  
"No, it's all them. It's a tactic they use to confuse us. They use codenames all the time. Mr. Herrman and Brownman and all those names they call each other. Never their real names, though.", Burns explains.  
"But we know their real names, right?", Miles asks. There just has to be some sort of information that they could grasp.  
"Of course. There's-"  
Before he could go into detail, Burns gets interrupted by the door opening. Another scrawny looking man pokes his head trough the gap  with a stern expression. Burns curses under his breath and immediately begins to shut down his laptop. "Rookie, whenever this ugly visage" - the other man protests with a weak "Hey!", but Burns just ignored him - "appears in this door, it means we have to run. What is it, Joel?"  
The other man frowned. "I take it you didn't make the order for the roadblock downtown? And here I was, thinking you just forgot to tell me."  
"What roadblock? I didn't ask for one!", Burns yells, as he shrugs on his jacket. Miles quickly put aside his work and scrambles for his own.  
"There is a request for a block on Vespucci Boulevard from Alta Street to Elign Avenue today, filed under your name." The pair left the room, and Miles tags along, trying to get as many information out of their conversation as possible.  
"I didn't request it!"  
"Well, the traffic guys want to know, if it's canceled or not.", Joel informs them.  
Burns fixes him with a surprised look. "No. Don't cancel it, but get 3 teams ready, one of them in civilian clothes. Alert the hospital. I don't want reporters. Make it look like there's a movie been shot."  
Miles frowns. "Why that many precautions?", he wants to know.  
  
Joel turns his head around, looking at him surprised. "Who's that guy?", he asks, as if he'd just seen him for the first time.  
"That's the new Rookie. Rookie, this is Joel Heyman, my partner."  
"Hi, I'm Miles.", Miles offers, hoping that at least one would call him by his name.  
"Well, Rookie, we take that many precautions, because on that Road, the Heavens Inn is located."  
"Okay, and what's so special about that Hotel?", Miles asks, still confused.  
Out of his peripheral vision, Miles could see Burns roll his eyes. "It's the hotel where Belladonna Granda lives."  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, somebody needs to tell me more!", Miles yells, as they rush down the road from the police headquarters towards Vespucci Boulevard. The car took a sharp left, and Miles was taken by surprise from the momentum and tumbled against the side. "God damn it!", he complains loudly.  
"Belladonna Granda, self proclaimed queen of the underground. She’s been in Los Santos for a little over a year, staying in the Heavens Inn for the whole time.", Burns informs him in a rushed voice. Then he turns to his partner, Joel Heyman. "Get me Marquis on the phone. He was supposed to observe her!"  
"On it.", Heyman complies, before he picks up the receiver and calls command.  
Miles clamps down around the door handle, as they skid into yet another bend. He suppresses a lout curse, wary of Heyman’s conversation.  
  
  
"Alright, they are on their way.", the other man finally announces, then he turns around to face Miles. "Look, I know you’re new to this, so let me give you some advise. Don’t talk. Don’t let them get to you, or they will get into your head. They’ll play with you, chew you up and then spit you out. Just remember to focus, because they will find ways to distract you."  
"What? Any real advise, probably? I know to be careful!", Miles replied heatedly.  
Burns grumbles under his breath. “Try not to be associated with us.”  
"Well, that’s not going to work, is it? I’m wearing a damn uniform, okay?" Admittedly, Miles got nervous. He knew, of course, that he’d have to come face to face with the crew _someday_ , but he always pictured it at some point in the future, when he’d actually had the chance to get to know the case a little more. Get familiar with the details and quirks and personalities he’d have to face.  
"Well then you better act like it! What about all that big talk from earlier, huh? All that stuff about bringing new wind to set the sails of the case? You better start blowing, Luna.", Burns barks.  
Miles chooses not to respond to that reply. And, strangely enough, he enjoys the fact that Burns just called him by his name, and not by the nickname he gave him earlier.  
  
  
They arrive at the roadblock only a moment later. A huge group of people has gathered at the barriers already, watching the empty road intently. Burns and Heyman both curse under their breath, before they rush out of the car and break their way to the front, where the traffic officers were already waiting for them. With little hesitation, Miles follows them.  
"Are you Agent Burns?", one of the officers ask Heyman, who just thumbs towards the man in question. The officer turns around to face him instead and starts his quick report: "The blockade’s erected 25 minutes ago, we couldn’t keep the civilians from gathering. We’ve been informed of the true origin of the request and focused on keeping the people out of the closed off area. Should we evacuate the buildings?"  
Burns took the information in, thinking them over for a second. “No. I see no reason for it. We’ve been given the information that something is about to happen, and the crew cleared out the area themselves. I don’t think the people in the buildings are in danger. Just keep focusing on keeping the people out and turn a watchful eye on anything suspicious. To be honest, we got no clue as to what’s about to happen.” He then dismisses the officer and turns to his arriving troops. “Alright, listen up, everybody. I want teams 1 and 2 splitting up and securing the blockades. Check them for anything unusual. I’m talking suspicious people, stray luggage and so on. Team 3, check the buildings. I know, it’s a lot, but our targets must be hiding somewhere. Start with the Heavens Inn, ask for strangers walking in. Civilian Team, get the Camera and Radio equipment. As soon as they show up, film them. Check the Radio for them. They either have something to say to us, or they’re talking to each other. Make it look like you’re a film crew, to reassure the people. Heyman, you’re checking the groups for them. Rookie, stay close.”  
  
The troops did as instructed, each scurrying away into the directed way.  
"Okay, Rookie, listen.", Burns begins as he turns around and starts walking onto the empty street. "I’m gonna give you a quick overview about Belladonna. First thing you need to know: Not actually Italian. Actually, she’s Polish. Real name’s Jagoda Wojciechowski. She’s been big with drug trades in other states, but for some reason, she decided to come to Los Santos next. Of course, that’s completely in the hands of the AH Crew, and she’s been pissed ever since. Didn’t stop her from trying though. There had been a few conflicts with our targets, but nothing too bad had been happening as of yet. A few injured minions of hers, but mostly self provoked, nothing major. Had actually gotten quiet, as of lately. We assumed that they’d come to some sort of agreement, or she was about to leave again. Apparently, we’ve been wrong."  
After checking the blockade himself, Burns leads him towards the entrance of the Heavens Inn, a beautiful building with a white facade and stone pillars. A red carpet leads down 3 board steps, and potted palms tower to each side of the double glass door. They didn’t even make it on the carpet, when another Deputy ran up to them. “Agent Burns! We’ve got radio contact, Ramsey wants to talk to you!”, he yells.  
  
Burns immediately turns around and storms back, Miles tagging close behind. The Deputy leads him back to the blockade, where the mobile radio station has been assembled just inside the blocked off area, for safety reasons. Burns reaches for the receiver, stating his name, and waits for an answer. Strangely enough, there is none, but Burns doesn’t seem concerned about that. “That’s just how they work. I tell you, as soon as we go back, suddenly there’s another contact. They want us right here.”, he grumbles under his breath.  
"Luna, go get equipped, I want a portable radio and safety vests for both of us. Should be in one of the vans.", he then instructs, turning back to the receiver, picking it up again.  
Miles complies, and goes to fetch the vests for the both of them. Strapping the portable radio to his body turns out more difficult than he anticipated, though. Usually, there is a small black box, that’s tucked onto your back, where it’s the least likely to fall off in combat. But the vests cover that spot in such a way, that they make it impossible to fit comfortably under it. Instead, he has to relocate it to the backpocket of his trousers - which of course are already occupied by various accessories, such as pepperspray, handcuffs and a telescope bat.  
After a few minutes, he gets everything tucked away neatly, and dutifully returns to Burns, who impatiently stares at the radio, bellowing new orders to his subordinates. And, Miles has to admit, weren’t this an actual crime scene but a movie, Burns would be pretty cool. He’d be the cool badass dude that leads the investigation and solves mysteries and gets the lady at the end, and everybody would be rooting for him. The reality is a little different, though. Nobody but his teams seemed to know who he was, the case has been dragging on for years. Also, he already got the lady. He’s still a cool badass dude, Miles thinks.  
  
  
"Got the equipment," Miles reports, holding out the vest for his boss. He takes it and slips it on casually, before just tucking the radio under one of the straps at the side of the vest. Wow. Now Miles feels like an idiot. "Alright, let’s see what they’ve got for us.", Burns then says. He leads Miles back to the hotel entrance.  
"Talk to the security, I’ll charm the receptionist in letting us in. She already looks pissed.", Burns then orders. He makes a beeline towards the angry looking woman behind a wooden counter. Miles strides over to the security guard just to his left. "Deputy Luna. Can I ask you a few questions?", he starts, just like he learned in the academy.  
The guard looks just as pissed as the receptionist, who is by now heatedly talking to - no. At - Burns. Her face turns gradiently redder and redder. It’s actually quite impressive.  
"Listen, your colleagues already came in here. I’m really not in the mood to repeat myself. A second time. I’ve been asked everything twice.", he fumes.  
"I’m from another department, would you please answer just a few questions of my own? I might have a few new ones that my colleagues missed.", Miles asks, plastering a big smile on his face. The receptionist started screeching behind him. Miles was almost impressed with Burns’s charming skills.  
"Fine.", the guard agrees.  
Miles takes a deep breath of relief. “Okay, first of all, how long have you been here?”, he asks, taking out his notepad.  
"I came in after lunch break, so about 2 pm. Been standing here since.", the guard reports.  
"And since then, have any strangers come in?"  
The man grins. “This is a hotel - of course were there strangers.” Admittedly, that’s been a stupid question.  
"Maybe people with luggage that didn’t went to the reception first? Or all together people that looked out of place?", Miles tries.  
With a sigh, the man shook his head. “Listen, like I’ve told the other guys already, this is a hotel, strangers walk in and out of here all the time. With or without luggage, it happens at any given time. I’ve might have not been here when they checked in, I can’t stop everybody and ask if they really checked in. It’s not good for the business. I’ve seen nobody that was out of place, except for a hobo that wandered in and tried to sneak past us to the toilets.”  
Miles nods, slightly bitter at the unsatisfying results. “Okay, last question - is there a surveillance system that we could check?”  
The man agrees. “Yeah, actually, but one of your dudes’s already taking a look at it.”  
Miles’ eyebrows shoot up. Somebody’s already there? “Is he still here?”, he asks.  
Pointing with his finger, the man mentions towards a hallway behind the counter - where the receptionist has reached a new level of red. If it was legal, she’d be beheading Burns right now, who just stares at her blankly.  
  
"Ms. Lewitt, you do realize that you’re hindering police investigations, right? You need to let us up to the apartment of Ms. Granda, where the rest of my team already waits for us. You can get in serious trouble, if-", Burns rants, as soon as the receptionists has to pause her own rant in order to take a breath. But then, the portable radio crackles, and suddenly, there is a voice.  
"Burnie, how nice of you to join us. We see, you’ve got our invitation." it says in an amused tone, and Burns whirls around, giving Miles a sign to come closer. Miles excuses himself and dashes over.  
"Ramsey, whatever you’re doing, I recommend you stopping right now and come out, with your hands where I can see them.", Burns demands, grimacing as he speaks into his receiver. He is rewarded with a laugh on the other side of the line.  
"Burnie, I like you. That’s why I recommend _you_ to stay out of our business. We really don’t want to hurt any of your guys today. Also, if you’re inside that building, you’re going to miss our big entrance.”, the man sing-songs, his voice cracking around the edges. Burns curses under his breath.  
Without sending the message, he faces Miles. “Get out. Tell me exactly what happens.”  
  
Miles hurries on, by now annoyed of being ordered around so much. But, what can he do, he’s just the new guy after all. Outside of the building, he takes in both sides of the road in front of him.  
"Ramsey, whatever your issue with Granda is, drop it right now. We have a team of armed forced up with her for protection. You’re not gonna do anything today."  
Once again, there is a laugh on the other end of the line, joined by a softer, quieter laugh in the background. But then, something unexpected happens. “Who’s the Rookie, Burnie?”, Ramsey asks. Miles swallows, his throat suddenly far to dry.  
"That’s the new addition to my team, and a skilled one as it is. This time, you’re going down, Ramsey.", Burns threats, while defending Miles’ honor. That was - well that was strange. The whole day, he’s been ignored and degraded by his superior, and now he’s praising him? _Intimidation tactic_. Right.  
"Well well well. And does the Rookie have a name, too?", Ramsey want’s to know, somehow sounding delighted. Well, now the bar has been put quite high for Miles, to live up to the expectations that Burns has lain out for him.  
"Deputy Luna.", Miles offers, not happy with the current development. He can practically _feel_ the angry stare that Burns must be sending his way right now.  
"Nah.", Ramsey decides, "I don’t like that. I’m keeping it as Rookie."  
Miles groans and actually slaps one hand to his forehead, running it backwards trough his hair. How could this happen to him? He then proceeds looking the street up and down, noticing a soft rattling noise.  But that was about everything that was happening right now.  
  
The Deputy from before runs up to Miles in a hurry, now also wearing a protective vest. “The surveillance of entire Downtown is disturbed. We can’t access any cameras.”, he informs. How’s that even possible?  
"Anything else?", Miles asks, looking back into the hotel, where Burns finally got hold of the phone on the receptionists counter, looking impatiently.  
"We’ve also lost every radio contact that’s not the on the frequency you’re using. No trace of their lines." The Deputy looks genuinely sorry for the bad news. "The teams are on their own. No contact since 5 minutes ago - basically as soon as you walked into the hotel, the contact was cut."  
Okay, Miles. Don’t get nervous. Somehow, the AH Crew will know. Literally.  
  
"Alright. Work on the lines, I’ll inform Burns.", Miles decides, heading back into the hotel. Burns gives him an incredulous stare. Like ‘ _What the fuck, dude, didn’t I just tell you to go outside?_ ' Yeah, Miles gets that. Already. He briefly wonders if he already spent too much time working with Burns. But that's just ridiculous, it's barely been a _day_.  
He mans up and walks over, signaling Burns to not transmit anything right now. Burns nods.  
"Been informed that all radio transmittion has been jammed, as have the surveillance systems in the entire area. We’re on our own.", he informs and Burns gives him a pained one over. "Yeah, I kinda expected that. Get back to surveilling the street. I’ll let you know when you can leave your spot."  
  
Miles sighs and walks back out. He takes his spot back at the entrance, where he returns to staring up and down the street. The people at the blockades have gotten quite loud, and grown in numbers as well. Of course, there would be a lot of onlookers, when there was something going on in this city. They haven’t learned, after all. Not even after all that’s gone down the drain due to the AH Crew in the last years.  
Too late, Miles realizes that the noise he keeps hearing are two helicopters that have gotten closer and closer to the site. When he finally catches on, they are almost right above them, circling in over the hotel. He watches them for a second, before his instincts kick in and he runs over to the portable radio.  
  
"Get me contact to the helicopters!", he demands, not caring that he’s clearly not in charge right now. The team that’s working on getting back the lines just look at him, somewhat helpless. One of the men actually has the guts to shrug at him. "We’re grasping for every line we can get, believe me.", he then says.  
"No, listen. That helicopters - I need to know who’s inside right now!", Miles desperately explains. "Just work on it. Give it priority."  
  
Somewhat defeated, he makes his way back to Burns, wanting to inform him about the helicopters. Maybe, he should have done that first, giving him the news as soon as Miles got them. But then again, Burns had _just_ kicked him out. So he was kinda in the right here, right? Right.  
He opens the door, stepping confidently but quickly in front of his boss. “There’s helicopters.”, is all he says, before the other can reply a “God damn it!”  
  
Then, the portable radio that’s still attached to Burns’s vest cracks again. “If I were you, I’d be outside by now.”, another voice informs him. “We’re about to arrive.”  
Burns once again curses under his breath, giving Miles an annoyed look. “Those fuckers. They’re trying to play with us. Listen, we’re going to go out, meet them. If there’s a chance to disarm them, if any of them should get close to you, do it. But whatever you do, don’t threaten them. They’re like a group of little dogs. They’re fine prancing around, playing in the city, maybe bark a bit, but as soon as someone gets too close, they stop playing around. They bite, and they bite you hard.” The instructions are clear, if a little far fetched.  
  
  
Miles feels like the star in an action movie when they exit the hotel to meet the big evil in the streets. It’s not exactly high noon anymore, but the heat is still present, as is a large crowd to witness their confrontation. And if he walks just a little bit slower and with more swish in his steps, it’s completely coincidental. Not at all just to appear walking in slow motion. No. That would just be childish.  
In reality, the street is still vacant, when they walk it down halfway, and it’s Burns that stops, broad shouldered with glasses on, who rests his hands on his hips and confident stance. If he’d take a deep breath right now, he would kill the cliché. And Miles is just the awkward, not quite as scrawny rookie, but at least he can grow a real beard. He’s got that going for him, which is, admittedly, nice. And it got him the attention of quite a handful of lovely ladies.  
  
The helicopters were now circling each other almost exactly over the hotel, and Miles looks up to them worriedly. Burns, however, seems not to care for them the tiniest bit. That being said, he wasn’t not interested in them, he just had to focus at everything at once. And he’d apparently decided that his main focus should be directed to the roaring sound that emerges from a nearby underground parking lot. Just the second that Miles chooses to follow his Boss’s line of sight, a shiningly bright, chrome Adder emerges from the depths under an apartment complex with a mighty roar. It speeds down the road, turns with screeching wheels and darts back across the street, where it finally stops _brutally_ in front of the hotel. The crowd almost cheers.  
A man with reddish brown hair stepps out gracefully. He wears a brown leather jacket casually slung over his shoulders. In one swift motion, he combs his hand trough his unruly locks, before he takes of the sunglasses that blocked his eyes from view. He tucks it in his pocket and looks over the crowd, until he found Burns and Miles. Then, he smirks.


	3. Chapter 3

It was the evening after what later will come to be known as the ‘Belladonna Incident’. Miles sits in his flat, wrapped in a blanket on the floor of his living room. He has every pillow prepped up around him, searching for as much comfort as he could get. He sits in the near dark, the only light in the room coming from the flickering but muted TV. He just couldn’t listen to anything right now, not when every noise made him jump and every shadow made him flinch.   
One hand firmly gripped around a warm bottle of beer, he taked a sip, before he searches for his cellphone that Miles had abandoned in the pillows earlier that evening. When he finally finds it, he opens up the text messages from his best friend, that he still hadn’t answered yet. Kerry had been excited when Miles had told him he’d got the job he’d asked for and sent him messages all throughout the day, wanting to know if everything went as smooth as he’d expected. When he’d stopped answering somewhere around 5, when he headed out towards the Heavens Inn with Burns, his messages grew sparse and a little worried.   
  
Miles sighs, before he types out his answer. ‘ _I bet you saw it in the news. Wanna come over, have beer?_ '   
He wasn’t sure, if he really wanted to talk about it, but he sure as hell needed his best friend over right now. Just to be there. Kerry would understand it.  
’ _I’m on my way_ ' came the short reply and Miles almost smiles. That's why Kerry had a special place in his life. He was just so damn reliable. He could call him in 3 in the morning, and Kerry would be there for him. He's just such a nice person.  
  
  
Barely 10 minutes later, there’s a knock at the door. At first, Miles jumps in surprise, until he remembers that he’d invited his friend to come over. With his blanket still wrapped around him, he makes his way to the door, but opened it just enough to peek trough the gap. Thankfully, it really was Kerry, grinning and holding a sixpack in his hands. “Thought I might bring some more.”, he exclaimed.  
Miles closed the door to unlock the chain that secured it, before he let Kerry in. “Might need that.”, Miles admitted, eying the beer in his friends hands.  
Kerry nodded. “That’s what I thought.”  
  
They made their way into the living room, where Kerry plopped down into the pillows, immediately starting to make a nest. Miles just smiled. Yeah, Kerry is a real treasure. Bless his innocent soul.  
"Oh, dude, look!", Kerry suddenly yelled. He leaped for the remote and turned up the volume. "It’s you!"  
Miles slowly turned around to look at the screen. A very tired looking Miles was standing in the middle of the road, looking helplessly at the destroyed street, while an off screen voice reported: “-have been present the whole time. But even our beloved forces couldn’t prevent the event from happening. Insiders have told us that, quote, ‘ _They’ve been completely helpless_ ’. Let’s just hope, that they soon-“  
"Turn it off!", Miles bellowed, aggravated by the rude commentary. Kerry did as requested, looking at him worriedly.  
  
"So - wanna tell me what happened?", Kerry asked after a moment of silence. He popped open a bottle of beer while Miles settled down next to him.  
"I guess I should, huh?", Miles mumbled in reply. He clinks his half empty bottle against Kerry’s. However, he kept silent for a good five minutes. And Kerry, bless his generous soul, didn’t push him. He just accepted the silence and waited, until Miles mustered up the courage to narrate his horrible day.  
  
"We got called to the Heavens Inn, before anything happened. They wanted us to be there. But the whole sick event didn’t start, until Jones - Mogar arrived in his damn braggy car."  
  
  


* * *

  
The man made a big gesture with his arms, opening up his chest to his audience. Miles wants to put a few bullets in it, just to be rid of the criminal. But then again, that’s not the kind of justice he wants to serve. He wants to bring those bastards in front of an objective judge, one that they hadn’t had the chance to bribe yet.   
The man opens his mouth, and Miles’ radio transmitter cracks once, before there is a voice coming from it, in sync to the man’s lips movement. “Well, well, well. Good evening, Burnie! It’s been a while.”  
Burns grits his teeth, staring at the man in disdain. “Jones. Where’s the rest of your lot?”, he asks into his receiver. Jones grins, pats the roof of his car. Dang, that’s a real beauty.  
  
"Don’t you worry your pretty head, Burns. We’re gonna have a little family meeting right here, soon. Now, let me give you some words of advice.", Jones answers, his grin widening ever so slightly. He takes a few steps towards them, but still staying far away. Probably for safety reasons.  
  
Out of the corner of his eyes, Miles could see that Heyman was on his way towards them, his posture tense, his face grim.  
Burns ground his teeth together, before pressing “What advise?” out. His hands have balled up into fists, which were now dangling tensely down besides his hips. His whole demeanor practically bursts with barely conserved self control, and Miles isn’t surprised at all. He’s been hunting the AH Crew for years, after all. And they just dance in front of him, whenever they’re feeling like it.  
"Smart man", Jones laughs, "you’ve learned. Now, why don’t we play a little guessing game?"  
  
Burns visibly had to restrain himself from losing his control. “Not in the mood for games, Jones.”, he grinds out. “The advice.”  
"Oh, but it’s easy. Here, let’s just try this. Guess why we’ve been so quiet the past few weeks. C’mon, it’s really easy.", the redhead grins.  
It’s Heyman who answers: “What have you been preparing?”  
Jones hands fly up while he laughs. “Oh, come on, guys. That’s not how this game works. But you’re right, there’s been something in the making. Now, next guess: What did Los Santos’ favorite homicidal maniac do in all that spare time?”  
Miles fidgets nervously. He wasn’t sure, if he really wanted to know. And since neither Heyman nor Burns took a guess, his eyes flicker towards them shortly before he himself says: “Did he gather weapons?”  
For once, Jones looks at him directly, a loopy grin spread across his face. “Not bad, not bad. I like the new kid. You wanna take a guess at the kind of weapons?”  
"Just tell us already, Jones.", Burns barks out, before Miles could even consider an answer.  
  
"Come on, assholes, don’t let me down.", Jones says, dropping the playful tone from his voice completely. And for a second, Miles asks himself why exactly he chose this career. Something about being brave and doing justice. Well, more like a quick death at a young age.  
When nobody dares to say a thing, Jones rolls his eyes and takes another step forwards. He sighs dramatically, before he looks straight at all three at them, raising an eyebrow and smirks in a way that suggests he might let them in on a secret. “You know, he’s gotten quite fond of explosives. Gotten really good in making them, stacking them up. There were so many of them, we could barely move without tripping over them. And wants to test them all.”  
  
Nobody says a damn thing. They’re just standing rigidly together, staring at the criminal in front of them, who again starts to talk. He actually has the nerve to wander around a bit, his hands clasped behind his back. “So here’s the rules. First of all, you want to keep your people outside the barriers. All of them. Burnie, Joel, you and your new Toy there can stay right where you are. Have a first row seat to the show.”  
"What happens, if we don’t?", Heyman demands to know.  
Jones chuckles. “Well, you really want to know, don’t you? The same thing that’ll happen, if one of you even thinks about interfering with our business. We’re gonna blow up that whole crowd of people.”  
  
  
Heyman turns around in surprise. His eyes searches the crowd for any signs of danger. He’d searched them just a moment ago, after all. Again, a chuckle transmits over the radio. “Don’t you dare move the crowds away. If anybody moves, they all move; in every direction possible at the same time. Our dear friend the Mad King made sure to get every inch of the place covered. Tell your men to not even lift a finger and keep their mouths shut. If any one of you so much as think about searching the place again, a finger on a button might be slipping.”  
Burns desperately waves his hands at the other deputies. “Don’t move!”, he yells, making gestures with his hands that they seem to understand. Miles can see a couple of them paling and talking to each other.  
  
With a loud cracking noise, the police radio transmission springs back to life. “Sir, we’ve got signal. Need report!”, one of the deputies requests.  
It’s Heyman who replies: “Nobody move! This is not a drill, this is a serious order. Nobody takes a step.”  
  
  


* * *

  
Kerry tilts his head to the side while listening to Miles’ story. “That guy sounds like a grade a asshole.”, he comments, and Miles almost laughs at that comment.   
"Yeah. But that’s nothing compared to everything that happened afterwards.", he answers before he shifts deeper into the blanket nest. Kerry raises his eyebrows, but didn’t question him any further. The charm of Kerry, always knowing when to push and when to wait.   
  
They stay silent for the next few minutes, shifting closer to each other, comforting each other. A few times, Kerry looks like he wants to ask him something, but decides against it in the last second, a few times with his mouth already open.  
Finally, Kerry sighs. “So… you wanna tell me about your date with Arryn? You haven’t told me about it yet.”  
Glad to be given an out, Miles nudges Kerrys shoulder and smiles at him. But he doesn’t quite feel like talking about that either. That’s a conversation for happier times. He doesn’t want to use her - or the memory of her - as an distraction for his shitty day. She deserves better than that. So he settles for saying “She’s an angel. Perfect in every way.” And that’s it. He’d go into details another day.   
  
  
When the following silence grew to loud, Miles searches for the next out. “What’s your day been like? I bet there were tons of jobs for you today.”   
Kerry shrugs. He works at an IT company that specializes in surveillance technic. And since the AH crew was active today, a good portion of the network would have been killed in preparation. It only now strikes Miles, that Kerry would likely have been close by, when everything happened.   
"Ah, you know. Everything is quiet, I was installing an update on a system in Vinewood, when I get an angry call from my boss, yelling at me to get my ass down in the city to get those ‘damn cameras’ online. Most of my coworkers were already there, working in the most important buildings, so I looked over the system in what seemed like to next most important one. Sat there for a couple of hours without finding the error, and then all over sudden, the system goes back online without so much as a trace of the culprit. But at least I get paid for overtime."  
  
Miles looks at him pensively. “Without a trace you say? And all over sudden?” Kerry nods. “Yeah, I mean, it’s like somebody somewhere flips a switch and _boom_ , system’s online. I wish I could do that. But, like, for a better course.”  
He looks a little nervous, but Miles knows Kerrys quirks. He’s never had to deal with criminals after all, and he didn’t really enjoy the fact that Miles chose to. But after a while, he supported him. Best friend after all.  
"Like our radio. It seems like it takes no effort for them at all. Kerry, you’re good with this stuff, right? Can’t you figure out how they do it?", Miles asks, and Kerry pales a bit.  
"Miles, I - no. I can’t - you know I’ve been working on it for a while. I can’t find the error in the systems. I’m sorry."  
  
Wow. Now, on top of being beaten by the day, Miles feels like an asshole. He knew that Kerry wouldn’t be comfortable with a request like that. Criminals just weren’t anywhere near his comfort zone. “Sorry.”, he mumbles, before burying himself in the pillows by flopping down face first.   
"Hey. What happened after Jones told you about the explosives?"  
  
  


* * *

  
Heyman bellowes short but precise commands over the radio. Nobody move. Just look. Can you see explosives around you? How many were there? Were they activated? Don’t move. Meanwhile Burns tries to contact the station. But the long distance radio as well as the mobiles were dead. He can’t call for specialists. Miles tries his lines, but there wasn’t any kind of reception. Just silence. Well, as silent as it could be with the crowd of people that was talking agitatedly and the two helicopters still circling the hotel.   
  
Jones had walked back to his damn beautiful car and opens the trunk. Burns flinches, mumbling something about a minigun - seriously, a minigun? Holy fuck! - but he just pulls out a megaphone.   
"Good evening, Los Santos!", he greets the crowds over it, and they respond with cheering. God, sometimes people were so dumb. Didn’t they realize that they were in danger? There were cops all over the place, there were barriers; what were they thinking? What did they expect to happen?  
"It’s great to see so many of you out here! Are you excited for a little show?", Jones asks cheerfully, and once again, the crowds were cheering, some even clapping. "Well, then you’re in for a treat! My crew and I have planned something special, just for you! Remember, all of this was planned, so don’t you worry your precious little heads!"  
That didn’t sound right. That wasn’t right at all. Dread settles deep in Miles’ guts, but there was nothing he could do right now.  
  
"Let me introduce myself, I’m Mogar, your host for the evening. I’m gonna make sure, you’re enjoying the show. Now, my co-host should arrive shortly, and I can assure you, you’re gonna love her. She’s the _bomb_.”, he says, grinning devilishly. Miles breaks into a cold sweat. Were they going to bring another bomb? Even bigger maybe?   
  
  
Another car emerges from the depths of the parking lot - an ugly green Jeep. It wasn’t fast or driving risky, it just pulls up next to the Adder, where it came to a sudden stop. But when the door opens, a gorgeous redhead in shorts and a blouse stepps out. Jones offers his arm, which she took without hesitation. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, our leading Lady. Welcome her with a big round of applause!”, he announces via the megaphone.  
While the gathered people clapped, Heyman curses out loudly. “What the fuck is this bullshit? A circus show?”  
Burns grumbles something in return about being played. God they were so far from controlling the situation, it was almost painful.  
  
Jones kisses the hand of the woman, before he lifts the megaphone to his mouth again. He chuckles once, before he continues his introduction speech: “And of course, every good show needs an antagonist. And we’ve gone all the way to get one of the most wanted people in all Los Santos to play that part, just for you. Are you excited? You wanna know who it is?”  
The crowd goes wild. God, just how fucked up is this bullshit?   
  
"They’re gonna do something to publicly humiliate Belladonna. Just what exactly has she done to them?", Burns asks Heyman, "Where the fuck are Marquis and Demarais? They were supposed to be here 10 minutes ago. We need the info!"  
"They can’t get trough. We’re losing the radio contact as soon as we try to contact them.", Heyman reports quiet enough that nobody else would hear them. Burns nods barely visible. "We need the input.", he repeats, a little desperate.  
  
  
"Well, well, well. Looks like you’re just excites as we are. Then, everybody, welcome with us: Miss Belladonna Granda!", Jones cheers on, making a grand gesture towards the Heavens Inn with the megaphone. After just a second, the door opens and a tall, spraytanned woman in a white dress gets dragged out of the building by two men, each holding her by a shoulder. She kicks her legs, while she still tries to walk with them so her legs don’t scrape the asphalt. A white scarf was bound around her mouth to act as a gag, and Miles has no doubt, that she’d be screaming and crying loudly otherwise. Her bleached blond hair is a mess, and her Makeup was running down her cheeks with her tears.   
The crowd suddenly is stunned silent. No doubt, they’re realizing that they’re not in for a fun show, but something else entirely. Maybe they even identify the moustached man in a suit and the tall man in a skullmask. There is some movement in the crowds, and the radio cracks again. “Remember, Burnie, nobody moves.”, Jones tells them, mentioning with his hand towards the crowd.  
  
"Fucking damnit!", Burns curses, before he bellows commands to the deputies over the police line. Nobody moves. Control the crowds. They have to stay. Nobody move.  
  
  
There were loud voices arguing over at the barriers, deputies arguing with people, but Miles didn’t dare looking away from the criminals in front of him. They were forcing the woman onto her knees with a well placed kick. The masked man grabbed a bunch of the hair on the back of her head and pulled it, making her look up at the pair in front of them. Jones pat her cheek once before their leading woman, Pattillo, leaned down to her and kissed her forehead with a grin. She said something to kneeling woman that made her flinch, eyes widening in fear.   
Ramsey leaned close and wispered something into her ear, before Belladonna nodded after a second of hesitation. Then he took of the gag and threw it aside.  
  
"Now, everybody, would you kindly welcome our main act of the evening - please direct your eyes towards the sky. Misses Belladonna Grandas very own children, her 5 year olf Twins Leif and Kira Granda.", Jones announced, walking in a halfcircle around the others and waving his free hand up into the sky. Miles eyes followed the gesture up into the sky, directly towards the helicopters.  
"What on earth are they doing?", he muttered.  
"Nothing pleasant, that much for sure.", Burns answered quietly.


End file.
